Album Review

This Christmas platter adds another page to Roomful's voluminous releases for Rounder's Varrick and Bullseye Blues imprints. Their only holiday album is a unique collection of some of the greatest R&B Christmas tunes of all time, including Chuck Berry's "Run Rudolph Run," Fats Domino's "I Told Santa Claus" and Lloyd Glenn's "Christmas Celebration." Roomful also puts their distinctive touch on classics by Mel Torme ("The Christmas Song"), Nat King Cole ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"), Jesse Belvin ("I Want You With Me Christmas"), Lowell Fulson ("I Want to Spend Christmas With You") and swinging takes on "Let It Snow," the perennial "White Christmas" (done up New Orleans style) and a holiday slant to Count Basie's "Good Morning Blues."

Biography

Formed: 1967 in Providence, RI

Genre: Blues

Years Active: '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s, '10s

Over the course of their decades-long existence, Roomful of Blues effectively became a franchise unto themselves, built more on a brand-name collective identity than on the voices of the myriad individual members who kept the band a smoothly humming machine. Describing Roomful of Blues that way, however, gives short shrift to the many accomplished musicians who have emerged from the band's ranks over the years: guitarists Duke Robillard and Ronnie Earl, organist Ron Levy, pianist Al Copley, singer...